Lesson video

Hello.

Welcome to the lesson.

I'm Mrs. Butterworth and I will be guiding you through the learning.

Now this lesson is all about nonverbal communication in speeches.

So we will be thinking about the delivery of speeches.

So we've written a speech and now we want to present it to an audience, and that's what we're gonna be thinking about today.

So, are you ready to get started? So by the end of the lesson, you will understand how nonverbal features contribute to an effective speech.

So let's look at some key words that are going to help us with today's lesson.

So the first is nonverbal features, pitch, tone and posture.

And these are all words that are going to help us with an effective delivery of a speech.

Now what do we mean by nonverbal features? So these are all nonverbal features are the aspects of communication that do not involve the spoken word.

So things like body language and the tone of your voice.

Now pitch is all about the highness and the lowness of your voice.

Tone is all about the attitude and emotion of your voice.

So think about, if I wanted to say something in an angry tone, I would change the way I use my voice.

And likewise, I might change the tone of my voice if I want to sound happy, for example.

And then finally, posture.

Now posture refers to the way someone holds themselves when they're seated or standing.

Okay, so we're going to start this lesson by considering tone, pitch, and pace.

And then we're going to move on to think about how we can use body language effectively.

So let's begin by considering that tone, pitch and pace.

Now, here is a statement, "The delivery of a speech is much more important than how it is written." Hmm, how far do you agree with this statement? Pause the video so you can discuss or think about your ideas.

How far do you agree that the delivery of a speech is much more important than how it is written? Pause the video and off you go.

Okay, a variation of answers there.

So lots of you agreed actually, and you said that actually a good delivery can make even the most boring information engaging.

How you say things can be powerful.

And this is very true.

When we think about some of the most famous speech givers, their delivery is so important and it gives it so much more personality and interest, doesn't it? But is this all that it's about? So actually Laura completely disagrees.

She says the writing is most important.

And then we have Jacob here in the middle, and Jacob says, "I think you have to consider both.

It's important to have the foundations of a really good speech, but then you also need to consider your audience." And I think Jacob is absolutely right here, because actually we need you, who will have written fantastic speeches and you need to have a fantastic written speech to start with, and then you want to ensure that your delivery reflects this, because yes, you know, how you deliver something, even if you're delivering something really boring, can engage the audience.

If you do both things well, both the written and the delivery well, I mean, imagine what's going to happen there.

And nonverbal features are a really effective way to engage your audience.

So we want to have a really well written speech, and a really well delivered speech.

So as I said, when delivering a persuasive speech, you need to consider your delivery, which includes nonverbal features.

So one aspect you can consider is the tone, pitch, pace, and volume of your delivery.

How can you manipulate these to make your speech engaging? Well, if take this simple sentence, "I didn't say you were wrong." So think about this, what would you do to your delivery to make it sound angry, or enthusiastic, comforting, or sarcastic? You would change your tone, pitch, pace and volume.

So if we take angry as the example, you may have a lower pitch, your tone will be much more aggressive maybe, and you may do something different with your pace, so, "I didn't say you were wrong." You may even slow down your pace to make an impact.

Likewise, if you wanted to sound enthusiastic, you would up your pace, you may up your volume, and even up your pitch, because, "I didn't say you were wrong", would make you sound much more enthusiastic.

Okay, so which of these A, B, C, or D, would not be considered a nonverbal feature? Okay, so hopefully you all got D, vocabulary, 'cause vocabulary is more that written aspect of a speech creation, isn't it? Our pitch, pace and tone are all the other things that go with that nonverbal delivery.

Okay, so I'd like you to consider two speeches.

Now I'm sure most of you have come across these before.

So the first is Emma Watson's, "Heforshe" speech, and the second is Emmeline Pankhurst's, "Freedom or Death" speech.

Now if you haven't come across these before, I'll just give you a little bit of background information.

So Emma Watson's, "Heforshe" speech was delivered in 2014 to the UM, okay, and it's Emma Watson, she's an actress, delivering a speech about feminism and about how everyone needs to get involved in ensuring gender equality.

So that's her speech.

Now the other speech is by Emmeline Pankhurst and this was actually delivered in 1913 to a much wider audience.

Okay, so this was more of a public speech, and she's trying to persuade her audience of the plight of the suffragettes.

So her speech is quite angry at how the suffragettes and how she has been treated, and also about gender inequality as well.

So considering that information, even if you have never heard these speeches before or seen these speeches before, we can make some intelligent speculations about the speeches.

So with that in mind, what I would like you to do, is I would like you to describe the tone of these speeches.

So again, if you've not interacted with these speeches before, use the information that I just gave you to try and make some intelligent speculations about the tone.

And then considering that tone, how might they vary the pitch, pace, and volume to ensure a successful delivery? Okay, so there's lots to think about there.

And again, always have a go, even if you're unsure, use the information that you have to make some intelligent guesses.

Okay, pause the video and get discussing.

Excellent, thank you so much for your contributions.

Let's just share some of those.

So lots of you picked up on the idea that both have quite determined and urgent tones, because of the purpose of their speeches to persuade and to inspire audiences into action, they have this determined and urgent tone, however their deliveries will be different.

And this is because of the contrasting audiences and contexts.

So Emma Watson's is almost more of a formal, indoor setting compared to Emmeline Pankhurst's speech in a theatre, to a general public.

So there's very, very different contexts there.

Now Watson in her presentation is calm and considered.

She varies her pitch and uses pauses to emphasise important points.

And pausing is a really clever thing to do.

So once you have made a statement or you have said something, just allowing yourself to take a moment to pause is just a really effective thing to do.

It also gives you a minute to kind of think about what you're gonna do next.

And as she's addressing an audience publicly, she slows her voice down for clarity and impact.

And this is another top tip as well.

When you are delivering your speech, you may find that you feel like you are speaking slower than is usual and that's absolutely fine and exactly what you should be doing.

And we can imagine Pankhurst delivering a much more emotive speech, because the speech was delivered in a less formal setting.

So we can assume a louder delivery in order to reach all of the audience.

And she wouldn't have had things like microphones, so there was a much more angry, emotive tone.

So she may have used a louder volume and a quicker pace to project her message more forcefully.

Okay, so now we're going to have a go.

So I actually have an extract here from Emmeline Pankhurst's, "Freedom or Death" speech.

What I would like you to do is I'd like you to now try reading this extract aloud, and I'd like you to try varying your pace, pitch and volume and consider what it is you notice, okay? So really have a go with this, experiment, have some fun with this, and really notice how that pace, pitch and volume can have an impact.

Okay, ready to do some experimenting? Off you go, pause that video.

Excellent.

Ah, that's so great to see you all experimenting with those different paces, pitches and volumes, and how these can create different tones.

So we know that Emmeline Pankhurst wanted quite a persuasive, urgent tone, but actually we can almost change the meaning by doing it in a higher pitch or a quicker pace.

So what you may have noticed as well is if you speak too quickly, the audience will miss your important message.

So if Emmeline Pankhurst stood up and said, "I'm here as a soldier who has temporarily left the field of battle in order to explain", everyone would be going, "Excuse me, I can't hear that".

But likewise, too slowly and your speech will sound monotonous.

So you want to find a middle ground.

And you may want to try reading some parts a little bit faster than others for emphasis.

But do remember that spoken language often feels slower than natural.

And pitch and volume, now I think variety is best, because if you keep it the same, your speech will become monotone.

But if you manipulate pitch, and volume, it can really help to emphasise the key parts of your speech.

So it's all about that intonation.

Just making sure that when you are delivering that speech, that you are giving as much intonation in that pitch and volume, just to create interest and also to draw emphasis to certain parts.

Okay, A, B, C, or D, which of the following refers to the speed at which you deliver your speech, A, B, C, or D? Who's feeling confident? That's right, it's A, pace.

Well done everyone.

Okay, so you have written an engaging and powerful speech and it is important that your delivery matches this.

So what I want you to do is I want you to think about your speech and I want you to start by considering the tone you want to create.

Now remember, you will need to consider your audience and the purpose of your speech, because if it's too angry or confrontational, you might put your audience off, so you really want to think about who you are giving your speech to.

And likewise, if it's too humorous or too casual, you will not convince your audience.

So particularly if it's quite a serious topic or you're trying to persuade your audience, if you're being funny or just really casual and nonchalant, you're not gonna be very convincing.

So it's about finding the right tone in which to engage and inspire your audience.

So below, in a moment there will be some tonal words and I'd like you to discuss which tone is the best for your speech and your audience.

So the words are assertive, confident, urgent, optimistic, inspirational, passionate, frustrated, emotional, authoritative and empowering.

Now discuss which tone is best for your speech and your audience.

Pause the video so you've got time to do this.

Off you go.

Okay, great.

Lots of ideas there.

So true or false time now.

"Shouting at your audience is the best way to deliver a convincing speech." Is that true or false? Yeah, that's right.

Don't wanna shout at your audience, you might put them off.

So justify your answer by picking A or B.

Well done to everyone that said B, you need to consider the needs of all of your audience.

Some audiences might find an aggressive tone too confrontational, and I think that's a really important point.

There's a difference between sounding urgent and determined and just sounding aggressive or confrontational.

So it's about finding that balance.

Okay, so it's over to you.

So I'd like you to find your speech and read it aloud.

And I'd like you to consider the following.

I want you to consider the tone that you want to create, and then the pace.

And remember that spoken language often feels slower.

So what pace are you going to use in order to get your message across? And then how are you going to use pitch? Now try and vary your pitch to engage and create emphasis and offer moments of light and shade.

So really think about the intonation of your voice and how you can manipulate it to effect.

Okay, so are you ready to get practising ? Great, pause the video, so you can do that now.

Off you go.

Excellent.

Loved hearing you practising those speeches and just really experimenting with pace and tone, and pitch, volume, all of that sort of thing.

I think lots of you have noticed that actually you do need to speak a little bit slower when you are presenting a speech.

And likewise, you may need to speak a little bit louder to ensure that everyone can hear your speech.

Okay, so I have four targets here.

I would like you to pick one for your spoken language to ensure you know what you need to keep working on.

So pause the video and pick one of those targets now.

Okay, so we are on the second part of our lesson.

We have considered tone, pitch and pace.

Now we're going to think about effective use of body language.

So let's keep working hard, and let's keep going.

So we have some images here.

I would like you to consider how are the people in these images using body language and facial expressions to present particular actions or feelings? Pause the video so you've got time to discuss or think about your answer to this question.

Off you go.

Okay, great.

It's really interesting, isn't it? How we associate certain gestures and certain facial expressions with certain actions and feelings.

It's very interesting, isn't it? Because lots of you picked up on the kind of, this person here is looking out and waving and has a smile on their face.

And that suggests this kind of openness, doesn't it? The body language is welcoming, it's relaxed, it's confident.

So we can see and we see the wave and we know that that is something that is welcoming.

So it's interesting isn't it, that gestures, body language and facial expressions also create meaning as well.

And likewise, this gesture we know associate with the idea of thinking and the idea of looking up.

These are all things that we associate with the idea of thinking or pondering.

And this kind of serious thoughtful expression is something that we are familiar with.

So body language and physical gestures can help you appear convincing and assertive.

And like I said, they can also create meaning.

So you can use gestures to draw attention to key ideas.

So you might choose to point, or put your hands together as if to beg, please consider this important issue.

Okay, so you can use these gestures and use your body language to also add emphasis to certain parts of your speech.

So if we look at these images of Martin Luther King, you will notice how he is using body language and gestures for effect.

In one of the images he's pointing upwards.

And you can almost imagine him and the speech that he has given and the point that he is making, and even the tone he's creating from that finger is almost very persuasive.

And in the other image he's smiling and waving, which again gives this feeling of confidence and openness.

So we can see how body language and gestures are so important in the delivery of your speeches.

Okay, true or false, you should not gesture or move at all when delivering a speech.

True or false? Yeah, that's right, it's false.

You should not gesture or move at all when delivering a speech, is false.

And now pick an answer, A or B.

And the answer is A, using gestures and body language effectively can really help elevate the delivery of your speech.

And this is a really key thing.

You don't wanna move so much or fidget so much that it's off-putting, but you could consider some really purposeful gestures to help engage your audience.

And likewise how you can use body language to make your audience feel comfortable and interested in your speech.

Okay, so in order to convey a compelling and convincing speech, you need to consider your body language, posture, and eye contact.

Now, as I said, body language refers to the movements or positions of your body that show other people how you are feeling.

So like we saw in the images, the person that was waving had quite an open body language, whereas if that person was feeling the opposite, they might close their body up, or put their hands down to show that they don't want to be bothered.

And then the posture as well links to body language and this refers to the way someone holds themself when they're seated or standing.

So when giving a speech, you want to make sure that you are nice and upright, and that your shoulders are back, and that you are just lovely and open and looking confident.

Now eye contact is quite tricky.

Now eye contact refers to whether someone is directly looking into your eyes or not.

Now when delivering a speech, you don't want to just look at one person, you want to be able to look out to your audience generally and vary your eye contact.

What I sometimes do is I actually look above the audience and then move my eyes every so often.

So there's ways that you can do this and it comes with practise to make sure that your eye contact is effective when delivering your speech.

'Cause it's actually a very tricky thing to do.

But with practise you will get better.

So here is Izzy about to deliver her speech.

I would like you to discuss what does Izzy's body language indicate here? So you'll need to consider where Izzy is facing, what is Izzy's facial expression doing, and what are Izzy's hands doing? So pause the video so you've got plenty of time to discuss this or think about your ideas.

Off you go.

Great, let's share some answers.

So Izzy's body language is great, isn't it? She shows relaxation and confidence.

So she is facing the audience and looking at them.

She's also smiling, and I really like the position of Izzy's hands.

They're not in her pockets or she's not fidgeting, they're down by her sides, so she looks really open and ready to give her speech.

And her posture is upright rather than hunched.

And she just looks very confident and relaxed, doesn't she? And this is much more engaging for an audience because we have confidence in the speaker as well.

Okay, so which two of the following should you use to show confidence? You need to pick two out of A, B, C, D.

Okay, and the answers are good eye contact and open body language, which again, as I keep saying, the more you practise these things, the easier they will become.

Okay, so our second practise task.

So I want you to read your speech aloud again.

Yes, that's right, I want you to read your speech aloud again because the more we practise, the easier it becomes and it is so the key to confident delivery.

So you wanna keep practising and keep practising.

This time I want you to consider your body language, your posture, your eye contact, and your physical gestures.

Don't forget the pitch, tone, volume and pace work that we did in the first part of the lesson, but now I also want you to consider your body language posture, eye contact, and physical gestures.

Okay, are we ready to read those speeches aloud really confidently? Excellent.

Pause the video and off you go.

Wow, I can feel that confidence rising just from how you are all using posture and your body language, these speeches are becoming much more convincing and much more compelling by thinking about all of these nonverbal features.

So really well done.

Okay, so what I want us to answer now are these following reflection questions.

So in a moment you'll need to pause the video to answer these.

So I want you to think about what has been the most difficult part of delivering your speech out loud? What are you most proud of? And what are you going to make sure you improve next time? So pause the video so you can answer those questions.

Off you go.

Okay, so make sure you use your answers to those questions to help you to continue the delivery of your speech.

So well done everyone.

I've got a feeling we have got some famous speech givers in our midst.

Well done.

Really, really excellent work.

So let's just remind ourselves of everything that we have looked at.

Well, we now know that pitch, tempo, loudness, or tone of voice used in speeches can enhance the content.

Gesture and posture can be used to engage the audience and to add emphasis to important points.

Spoken language often needs to be slower than feels natural and you need to consider your spatial behaviour, too much movement can be distracting, but too little can be wooden.

So everyone keep practising.

I can't keep saying it enough, the more you practise, the more confident you will become.

So I look forward to seeing these speeches again soon.

And see you all in another lesson.

Goodbye.